The stars

They have fascinated us since the dawn of time, and are as beautiful as they are mysterious. We've all taken the time to stop and watch the sky light up with thousands of stars. Moments that blend magic and meaning, that's what inspired the designer to create her Constellations collection. We'll take you behind the scenes of this collection which, like the stars, combines elegance and symbolism to delight you.

 "A precious jewel with an identity, that we like to have with us as an integral part of our person. A medal I love for its powerful astral dimension."

- Jessica, the designer

History

Long before us, the stars were a source of intrigue, and civilizations the world over sought to find explanations for them. Naturally gifted at recognizing shapes, we set about connecting these points in the sky to form figures. These shapes in the sky are called constellations. One of the first to be recognized is the Big Dipper, with its saucepan shape.

It was in Mesopotamia, more than 4,000 years BC, that the first traces of constellations were discovered. The first list of constellations dates back to 1100 B.C., an engraving that mentioned the seasonal constellations and the zodiac constellations, which represent the different months of the year.

Little by little, these constellations enabled people to see the passage of time. The sun always has more or less the same place in the sky, but the stars show the passage of time. For the Greeks and Romans in particular, the constellations were signs indicating the right time for certain activities. Planting had to be done when a certain constellation appeared, and harvesting at another. The Egyptians also used them to predict the flooding of the Nile. 

The constellations of the zodiac

Around 150 AD, the astronomer Ptolemy identified more than 48 constellations from his observatory in Alexandria. Among these are the thirteen constellations of the astronomical zodiac, which differs from the astrological zodiac in the presence of the Serpentarius. Ptolemy identified the zodiac as a circular area of the celestial sphere, the same area that was once used to predict the seasons. He divided the zodiac into four for the four seasons, then into three for each month of the year. Following this analysis of the zodiac, the astrological zodiac was born.

Today, we know 88 constellations, defined in 1930 by the International Astronomical Union. They are based on those identified by Ptolemy, to which have been added those of the southern hemisphere. The constellations of the northern hemisphere (boreal) are older and were discovered by Mediterranean and Mesopotamian civilizations, while those of the southern hemisphere (southern) were not discovered until the 17th century.

Amidst these 88 constellations, we all know at least by heart the names of the 12 identified by Ptolemy, the constellations of the zodiac, our astrological signs: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces. Twelve signs transcribed on the twelve medals of the Constellations collection. We leave it to you to draw the imaginary lines between the set diamonds.

Stars in everyday life

Are you inspired by the stars too? Here's our starry selection!